Fontana family pit bull mauls 4-year-old child

FONTANA >> A 4-year-old boy is recovering Tuesday in a hospital after being mauled by the family pit bull.

The child was attacked at 3:30 p.m. Monday at his home in the 7600 block of Honeysuckle Street, according to a Fontana police news release.

When the dog attacked the child, the mother screamed for help, and two off-duty Los Angeles police officers who live in the area ran to the house to help.

LAPD officer Jennifer Aguilar shot and killed the dog as it was biting the child in the head and face, according to LAPD Lt. Steve Lurie. The dog was a male pit bull that was not neutered, Fontana police said.

Both the boy’s ears were severed, and he had numerous puncture wounds to the head and face. He was rushed to Loma Linda University Medical Center for treatment.

“The officer saved the child’s life, so (she’s) a hero,” said Martha Guzman-Hurtado, a spokeswoman for the Fontana Police Department. “There’s no indication there was any wrongdoing, and we don’t know what set the dog off. The child is in the hospital and will be there for a while. We are hoping the child is going to be OK.”

Guzman-Hurtado said investigators are trying to determine how long the dog has been there and how long the family has lived there.

Reaction in the neighborhood on Tuesday was mixed, with some fearing for their safety and others saying that it doesn’t really bother them.

“I don’t feel safe,” said Malik Booker, 17, of Fontana. “I like dogs, but I don’t like pit bulls. They’re wild and you can’t control them.”

Booker said police have been knocking on doors of pit bull owners and checking to see if the dogs have been fixed.

Fontana has an ordinance regarding pit bulls that requires owners of pit bulls and pit bull mixed breeds to spay or neuter their dogs before the age of 4 months because research suggests that dogs left intact may be more aggressive, according to police. The ordinance was adopted in 2011.

Advertisement

Fontana Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating the incident.